How to start beekeeping in Calgary
By Daniel Swan (aka "Metropropolis)
2021 Version. First released, 2010.
Are you starting out, or considering beekeeper, and overwhelmed by choice or not sure where to start?
This document provides a simple and accessible starting point that will leave you well positioned to grow later.
Keeping your equipment and style simple will give you space to develop a strong foundation without being overwhelmed. Once you've got the basics down, you'll know where you want to go next, and how to get there.
Those pursuing "natural" practices will find theses recommendations compatible with all "natural" management practices.
For best results, start preparing mid-winter. Even better, start preparing a year in advance.
Beekeeping is challenging, demanding, frustrating, and wonderful. 90% of people who start quit after 2 years, finding there's a lot more to it than expected.
But, if you're willing to sink a great deal of time, effort, and heart into an amazing hobby, for its own wonderful sake, then beekeeping is for you.
There's a lot of stuff one can buy, but much of it isn't really necessary.
Here's a basic setup that will serve you well. Note, best-practice is to start with 2 hives[1]:
Bees can be purchased in two formats, known as "NUCs" and "Packages".
"NUCleus hives" are miniature beehives that come on their own comb, and "Packages" are thousands of loose bees in a screened shoebox.
Packages are available via bulk purchases from the beekeeper association. Nucs are available from local vendors such as worker and and hive or Apihex.
A package of bees will cost around $230 (2018-2020). Nucs run from $225-300, depending on seller.
NUCS can be considered a "Plan B" for those who weren't able to reserve a package in Feb, or when Covid interrupts package imports, as it has the last two years (2020,2021).
In the meantime, they'll be beekeeping reactively, and highly reliant upon the assistance of others.
Opinions vary greatly, but you'll soon get a feel for what will work for you. Those who use this as their primary resource do so at their peril. It's best used to clarify and round out learnings from other resources.
Also, the Calgary and District beekeepers association organizes "Saturday at the hive" tours, in which a handful of beekeepers get to tour an established apiary and ask questions.
You'll want friends for advice and support. The more experience you can expose yourself to, the more will rub off on you. It can take time to build relationships, but is essential to long term success.
The Calgary Beekeepers Association has been around since the 1930s. Members vary from hobbyists to regional honey producers. Members primarily keep Langstroth, but some also keep Warre and Kenyan Top Bar. Styles range from Commercial to Urban. They hold formal meetings every second month, and every month in between have a "Bees and beers" meetup.
There is also a club mailing list to ask questions on.
See http://www.calgarybeekeepers.com for details.
Once you purchase your equipment, you need to get a permit from the government of Alberta to keep bees. There is no cost to register, and information is used for the purposes of tracking and disease outbreak notifications.
See "Beekeeper registration form" at:
https://www.alberta.ca/beekeeping-registration
A note on municipal legality: Previously, the City of Calgary has preferred not to get involved in the regulation of beekeeping. This is changing in 2021, with the proposal of beekeeping-related bylaws. Stay tuned.
In the confines of the city, beekeeping can easily affect our neighbors, and other beekeepers. Consider your neighbors when placing your hives so the flight path doesn't point towards their yard. Keep hives out of direct sight if possible. Learn about swarm prevention, and take proactive steps to ensure your bees don't take off in search of another home.
Also, swarms can attract unwanted attention and make others uncomfortable.
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Calgary-and-District-Beekeepers-Association/303479772509 - Calgary Beekeepers Association Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1703298533260143/ - Calgary and area Beekeepers Facebook Discussion group
http://www.beemaidbeestore.com - Alberta supplier of equipment, Queens, and Packages.
https://apihex.ca/ - Apihex Calgary
This document provides a simple and accessible starting point that will leave you well positioned to grow later.
Keeping your equipment and style simple will give you space to develop a strong foundation without being overwhelmed. Once you've got the basics down, you'll know where you want to go next, and how to get there.
Those pursuing "natural" practices will find theses recommendations compatible with all "natural" management practices.
For best results, start preparing mid-winter. Even better, start preparing a year in advance.
To start beekeeping, you'll need the following 6 things:
0) Determine if beekeeping is appropriate for you.
1) Equipment
2) Bees
3) Education
4) Community
5) A permit
6) A sense of responsibility
0) Is beekeeping appropriate for you?
Beekeeping is challenging, demanding, frustrating, and wonderful. 90% of people who start quit after 2 years, finding there's a lot more to it than expected.
Many take it up after hearing that bees are becoming extinct. Fear not: Barring some significant losses 14-10 years ago, the bee-pocalypse is exaggerated, misrepresented and misunderstood.... and simply not happening.
Honeybees are beloved by humanity as both livestock and pets alike, and humans ensure their interests are taken care of. Please sleep easy knowing that the honeybees will be (mostly) ok with or without the assistance of another new beekeeper.
Some start with financial intent. Be warned that beekeeping is not an easy way to make money. It is often said that you can make a small fortune in beekeeping, provided you start with a big fortune.
Honeybees are beloved by humanity as both livestock and pets alike, and humans ensure their interests are taken care of. Please sleep easy knowing that the honeybees will be (mostly) ok with or without the assistance of another new beekeeper.
Some start with financial intent. Be warned that beekeeping is not an easy way to make money. It is often said that you can make a small fortune in beekeeping, provided you start with a big fortune.
But, if you're willing to sink a great deal of time, effort, and heart into an amazing hobby, for its own wonderful sake, then beekeeping is for you.
1) Equipment and costs:
There's a lot of stuff one can buy, but much of it isn't really necessary.
Here's a basic setup that will serve you well. Note, best-practice is to start with 2 hives[1]:
$0 4 cinderblocks, scavenged.
$40 2 screened bottom boards$40 2 Hive bodies, size "Deep"$200 40 "Deep" frames of drawn comb. [2]$40 4 Honey supers, size "Medium"$120 40 Medium frames, plastic$60 1 Hive top feeders$30 2 inner hive covers$40 2 outer hive covers$10 1 hive tool$50 1 Bee Jacket$30 1 Smoker
----$660 (Not including shipping, OR bees)All of these items can be ordered from suppliers like Bee Maid, Apihex, or Worker and Hive.
2) Bees:
Bees can be purchased in two formats, known as "NUCs" and "Packages".
"NUCleus hives" are miniature beehives that come on their own comb, and "Packages" are thousands of loose bees in a screened shoebox.
Typically NUCs are created by local beekeepers, and packages are imported from New Zealand en masse in the spring.
Both have their pros and cons.
Both have their pros and cons.
For the new beekeeper, I strongly recommend packages:- The are available earlier than Nucs, allowing the newbeek to start their journey sooner.- Less likelihood of disease transmission.- Package installation requires slightly more effort. The thought and planning required builds experience right from the start.
Packages are available via bulk purchases from the beekeeper association. Nucs are available from local vendors such as worker and and hive or Apihex.
A package of bees will cost around $230 (2018-2020). Nucs run from $225-300, depending on seller.
NUCS can be considered a "Plan B" for those who weren't able to reserve a package in Feb, or when Covid interrupts package imports, as it has the last two years (2020,2021).
3) Education:
Courses:
A COURSE IS ESSENTIAL. For over 10 years I've watched various strong willed or frugal individuals attempt to skip their bee course, and invariably they have a frustrating experience. 99%+ of these people quit at the 2 year mark.
In the meantime, they'll be beekeeping reactively, and highly reliant upon the assistance of others.
Some skip a bee course, assuming they can youtube or google their way through. They can't.
Without foundational knowledge, the new beekeeper will remain in a reactive state, struggling to figure out what "Just happened", instead of anticipating what needs to be done next.
Courses are available via The Calgary Beekeepers Association, and various vendors. There's also a great online courses out of Edmonton and B.C. Shop around.
Without foundational knowledge, the new beekeeper will remain in a reactive state, struggling to figure out what "Just happened", instead of anticipating what needs to be done next.
Courses are available via The Calgary Beekeepers Association, and various vendors. There's also a great online courses out of Edmonton and B.C. Shop around.
Books:
There are so many great beekeeping books, but no single one is enough. I recommend, in the
following order:
following order:
Beekeeping for Dummies - Covers the basics.Beekeeping for Idiots - Covers basics, innovations, and "natural" practices.The Practical Beekeeper by Michael Bush I,II,III - A comprehensive manual.Beekeeper's handbook - An illustrated reference for specific techniques.Beekeeping in Western Canada - Geared towards large-scale, and a bit dated, but a useful regional resource.
Internet:
Any question a beginning beekeeper would want to ask has already been asked and answered 1000 times on the internet and can be found by searching google or youtube.Opinions vary greatly, but you'll soon get a feel for what will work for you. Those who use this as their primary resource do so at their peril. It's best used to clarify and round out learnings from other resources.
Some folks eschew other forms of learning, thinking they'll just "google" it. All forms of learning and needed, and google will always be there for you.
Take regional differences such as climate into account when reading online. Remember: "All Beekeeping is local".
Mentoring:
The relationships formed by showing up and participating at bee meetings will lead to opportunities to visit and assist others. Those who have already taken initiative towards their own education will more likely find such doors opened to them.Also, the Calgary and District beekeepers association organizes "Saturday at the hive" tours, in which a handful of beekeepers get to tour an established apiary and ask questions.
4) Community:
You'll want friends for advice and support. The more experience you can expose yourself to, the more will rub off on you. It can take time to build relationships, but is essential to long term success.
The Calgary Beekeepers Association has been around since the 1930s. Members vary from hobbyists to regional honey producers. Members primarily keep Langstroth, but some also keep Warre and Kenyan Top Bar. Styles range from Commercial to Urban. They hold formal meetings every second month, and every month in between have a "Bees and beers" meetup.
There is also a club mailing list to ask questions on.
See http://www.calgarybeekeepers.com for details.
5) A permit:
Once you purchase your equipment, you need to get a permit from the government of Alberta to keep bees. There is no cost to register, and information is used for the purposes of tracking and disease outbreak notifications.
See "Beekeeper registration form" at:
https://www.alberta.ca/beekeeping-registration
A note on municipal legality: Previously, the City of Calgary has preferred not to get involved in the regulation of beekeeping. This is changing in 2021, with the proposal of beekeeping-related bylaws. Stay tuned.
6) A sense of responsibility:
In the confines of the city, beekeeping can easily affect our neighbors, and other beekeepers. Consider your neighbors when placing your hives so the flight path doesn't point towards their yard. Keep hives out of direct sight if possible. Learn about swarm prevention, and take proactive steps to ensure your bees don't take off in search of another home.
Also, swarms can attract unwanted attention and make others uncomfortable.
The Calgary Beekeepers Association has drafted guidelines to help urban beekeepers make responsible choices. Google "Calgary Urban Beekeeping Guidelines".
Appendices:
Sources and resources:
https://www.calgarybeekeepers.com - Calgary Beekeeper's associationhttp://www.facebook.com/pages/Calgary-and-District-Beekeepers-Association/303479772509 - Calgary Beekeepers Association Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1703298533260143/ - Calgary and area Beekeepers Facebook Discussion group
http://www.beemaidbeestore.com - Alberta supplier of equipment, Queens, and Packages.
https://apihex.ca/ - Apihex Calgary
https://workerandhive.com/ - Worker and hive Bee Supply
http://www.bcbeekeepers.com/bcbba/bcbba_contacts.php - Regional sources of Nucs
http:www1.agric.gov.ab.ca/$department/deptdocs.nsf/all/prm13239 - Alberta Apiculture
http:www.albertabeekeepers.org - Alberta Beekeeping Commission.
http:www.honeycouncil.ca - National industry association.
http:www.beesource.com - Online Forum
http:www.biobees.com - Online forum - Emphasis on Kenyan Top Bar Style.
http://www.bcbeekeepers.com/bcbba/bcbba_contacts.php - Regional sources of Nucs
http:www1.agric.gov.ab.ca/$department/deptdocs.nsf/all/prm13239 - Alberta Apiculture
http:www.albertabeekeepers.org - Alberta Beekeeping Commission.
http:www.honeycouncil.ca - National industry association.
http:www.beesource.com - Online Forum
http:www.biobees.com - Online forum - Emphasis on Kenyan Top Bar Style.
Notes:
[1] 2 hives are recommended, as one can be used to "jumpstart" the other in case of queen loss. If you have only one hive, and it loses its queen, you're dead in the water.
[2] Providing drawn comb to the bees will make a first year honey harvest possible. Without providing comb, the bees will spend most of short nectar flow period building honeycomb instead of storing honey. Drawn comb must be obtained from a commercial apiary, as they are not sold by Bee Maid. Installing a package on bare, undrawn comb is inadvisable.
[2] Providing drawn comb to the bees will make a first year honey harvest possible. Without providing comb, the bees will spend most of short nectar flow period building honeycomb instead of storing honey. Drawn comb must be obtained from a commercial apiary, as they are not sold by Bee Maid. Installing a package on bare, undrawn comb is inadvisable.
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Usual Disclaimers Apply.
This article was first released around 2010, and has undergone various revisions since then.
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Usual Disclaimers Apply.
This article was first released around 2010, and has undergone various revisions since then.
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